Monuments of Unageing Intellect

How can we preserve the cultural heritage of monuments amid geopolitical, religious, and societal debates? 

In May, Columbia Global Center Athens hosted an event at the Benaki Museum exploring the long and complex histories of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Monastery, and how these monuments have been shaped by shifting political, religious, and cultural forces. 

The lecture was delivered by Holger Klein, Lisa and Bernard Selz Professor of Medieval Art History and department chair at Columbia University, and emphasized the longue durée of preservation, restoration, and reinterpretation across Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern periods. Klein presented cultural heritage sites as “living monuments,” continuously redefined by changing regimes, ideologies, and societal values. 

The lecture highlighted the critical role of international collaboration in documenting, preserving, and safeguarding Byzantine heritage in Istanbul. Klein designated the preservation of cultural heritage as a shared global responsibility that transcends national, religious, and political boundaries. 

In a world marked by conflict, climate threats, and political tensions, the protection of such monuments was framed as both an ethical obligation and a unifying endeavor.